Study: How mule deer died March 5, 2012 Oregon

Richard Cockle ...tells of a five-year study where radio collars were put on 500 mule deer in the area between Bend and the California border.... A total of 128 deer died during that time, as legal hunters got 21 (16.4 percent), poachers got 19 (14.8 percent), cougars got 15 (11.7 percent), eight were hit by vehicles (6.2 percent), disease felled five (3.9 percent), four died from non-motor vehicle accidents (3.1 percent), and 51 (39.8 percent) died of unknown causes.... According to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, there are approximately 120,000 elk in Oregon. There are around 216,000 mule deer, and 320,000 blacktail deer in the state. That’s a total of 656,000 elk and deer in Oregon. According to the Oregon Department of Wildlife, there are about 5,700 cougars in Oregon.

These articles have been reviewed for relevance and content. Some links to the original article may no longer be active.